My Clean House

The Sticky Fixer-Velcro

2006-03-19T13:04:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had a picture that walked on the wall or a breakable that inches too close to the edge of the shelf? Make it stay put with Velcro! Cut an appropriate size and stick one side to fixed surface and one the the one that "walks". The uses are limitless when you start thinking about it. How about rug that move. Hanging lightweight pictures-you get the idea!

Putting the"Stain-less" Into Steel

2005-11-02T12:52:00.000-08:00

There are so many appliances now days that are stainless steel and just as many products "they" say you should buy to keep them shiny. Plain old white vinegar will do that. Just put some on a paper towel and wipe the fingerprints and whatever away.

Tricky nick fix

2005-07-03T18:50:00.000-07:00

Have a nick in your wood furniture. Who doesn't unless you have all plastic furnishings. A crayola crayon will fix it. Just pick the color that matches and color it in.

Short trip tip

2005-07-03T18:43:00.000-07:00

Going away for a long weekend? Here is a way to water your plants and pets. Put ice cubes around your plants soil and in yours pet's water. They will melt and keep both your babies happy.

No Scrub White Sink

2005-06-14T11:43:00.000-07:00

I love a white sink but not scrubbing. Put a paper towel or two or three depending on the size of your sink and pour bleach on them. Let it sit while you watch your soaps. Then take up the towels and admire your white sink.

The Dry (supposed to be wet)Swiffer blues

2005-06-05T19:04:00.000-07:00

Does your wet Swiffer pad go dry way before you are finished? OH yeah. Spray it with Fantastic or your cleaner of choice and Swiffer on! Too bad we have to buy their product and have to improve on it too.

It's not just for tacos

2005-05-31T16:09:00.000-07:00

Do you have some extra Taco Bell hot sauce around? You know you do! It will take the tarnish off copper. If you have old pennies that need shining, just squeeze it on! Wonder what it does to our stomach.

Foiled Again

2005-05-28T11:04:00.000-07:00

Line your oven, burner pans and toaster oven bottom with foil. Tossing the foil away sure beats scouring after a spill over. Caution. Do not foil a convection oven. I learned the hard way that the foil will melt.

Bye Bye Ants

2005-05-17T13:13:00.000-07:00

To keep ants away put a couple of bay leaves or a raw jalapeno pepper in the appropriate places. Just a couple will do.
I told a customer about this, and when she moved I helped her clean and found she had put enough bay leaves in her cabinets that it looked like a tree fell in them and died.

Added counter space

2005-05-15T19:15:00.000-07:00

If you need more counter space, open the nearest drawer and put a cutting board or tray crosswise in the drawer for more room.

Oven cleaner-not just for ovens

2005-05-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

Oven cleaner can be used on the stove top and burner pans when a really nasty spill has happend, or in the pot it happened in. Use it to clean outside BBQ grills and the utensils.

A Trashy Idea

2005-05-12T13:56:00.000-07:00

Store your trash bags in the bottom of the trash can they fit. Makes trash time so much easier. If you use the plastic bags the grocery store sends home with you for the smaller cans, store a few in them too.

Animal Adventures

2005-05-09T19:15:00.000-07:00

We had a call from a resort property owner that a wood duck had come down their chimney and wrecked the place. When we got there the poor thing had tried every way to escape thus making a huge mess. We could follow the duck's path by the poop. Everywhere, poop, on everything. Did you know duck poop will stain grout? I know now. If these people had shut their chimney flue and had a chimney cap, this poor duck, and housekeeper, would have been spared a lot of grief. This can apply to the normal house setting. Little birds can get caught in your chimney. Get them capped.

Keep the toilet seat down

2005-05-09T19:03:00.000-07:00

We all know to keep the toilet seat down to keep pets and kids from accidental drowning. Another reason to do that is to prevent something that happened to us. We are caretakers of resort houses. At one, we went in to do our weekly check on things and to freshen up, I lifted the lid on the downstairs toilet and a drowned squirrel was in it. After I ran around the house screaming my husband caught me, found out what was wrong, and retrieved the poor thing. Moral, if the lid hadn't been down imagine what damage would have been done by a mad, wet squirrel. Our theory is it had fallen in or went down the vent pipe on the roof.

Squeaking clean floor

2005-05-06T17:51:00.000-07:00

Do you have scuff marks on your floors? Use WD40 on them and it will take them right up. Oh, for you non mechanical persons, WD is a lubricant found in the automotive/tool section of your favorite store.

Hand--y Vac

2005-05-04T14:45:00.000-07:00

A hand vac is good for crumbs under cushions and the floorboard of the car but how about all the other dry messes? Spilled flour on the cabinet, kids and hubby's crumbs on the table cloth etc. I've used it to vac up the pile of ashes left after the oven has done it's self cleaning thing. All are good, but the one I like is the Dirt Devil Scorpion. It has a built in crevice attachment that is sooo helpful.

Something Fishy

2005-05-03T19:00:00.000-07:00

Gone fishing? Barabsol shaving cream works wonders for getting the smell off hands, counter tops, and as a prewash for those fishy smelling clothes.

Smaller belt will Help.

2005-05-03T16:16:00.000-07:00

If your vacuum suddenly seems harder to push or easier to pull, you may need to replace the belt. They sometimes get stretched out and won't turn the roller properly.

Short Cut Dusting

2005-05-03T16:11:00.000-07:00

A feather duster sprayed lightly with furniture polish will do a quick dusting job for in between major dusting. It works great on carved and curvey surfaces.

Vacuum B.O.

2005-05-03T14:01:00.000-07:00

If your vacuum has B.O. (bag odor), put a dryer sheet next to the bag in the compartment. It will freshen the room as you vacuum.

Sock puppets

2005-05-03T13:57:00.000-07:00

Use old socks for dusting mitts. Your hand becomes a duster front and back and your rag won't have to be put down to use your hand.

Baby Oil-Beyond the Normal Use

2005-05-02T17:07:00.000-07:00

I was dusting one day and some of the furniture needed an oil polish. I didn't have any so I grabbed the baby oil. It works great and the smell is fresh. My husband has used it on a car and boat he was selling. Made them shiny and he didn't spend a lot of time and money on polish. They sold. I'm sold!

Shiny Stainless Sinks

2005-05-02T15:28:00.000-07:00

Your stainless sink will shine and be free of stains around the drain when sprayed with a brand cleaner with bleach. Or, spray with a solution of diluted bleach and a couple of drops of dish washing soap. Spray, let it sit a minute then rinse.

Swiffer Magic

2005-05-02T15:07:00.000-07:00

If you have a Swiffer or a Swiffer look alike and you are out of pads for it, a dryer sheet will do the trick just fine. Just attach it diagonally. And, don't throw any pad away after using just one side - turn it over and use the other side to get double the use for your money!

Wonderful World Of Wax Paper

2005-05-01T17:40:00.000-07:00

Besides keeping food from being splattered in the microwave, wax paper is great for lining refrigerator drawers. It's invisible and an easy clean up when it's time to evict the back of the drawer mystery items. Also, put it on the counter during food prep. It's sanitary and shortens clean up time.

My favorites

2005-05-01T10:20:00.000-07:00

Please feel free to check out my favorite sites. It's going to be a day or two before I can start making posts in my blog, as I have to organize my thoughts.

Portals & KM

The Disney Blog

P Kitchen

I Speak Of Dreams

2005-05-01T10:18:00.000-07:00

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Welcome

2005-05-01T10:11:00.000-07:00

This blog will discuss the best ways to keep your house clean.